Oil and gas spill report for Feb. 10

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The following spills were reported to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in the past two weeks.

Information is based on Form 19, which operators must fill out detailing the leakage/spill events. Any spill release which may impact waters of the state must be reported as soon as practical. Any spill of five barrels or more must be reported within 24 hours, and any spill of one barrel or more which occurs outside secondary containment, such as metal or earthen berms, must also be reported within 24 hours, according to COGCC rules. Spills and leaks are typically found during routine maintenance on existing wells, though some actual ‘spills’ do occur among the 19,000-plus wells in the county.

Noble Energy Inc., reported that on Jan. 21, during routine inspections, crews discovered a leak at a flow line near Kersey. It is unknown how much oil and water were spilt and none was recovered. All equipment was shut down and no emergency pits needed to be constructed. The company will continue to inspect flow lines.

Kerr-McGee Oil and Gas Onshore LP, reported that on Jan. 24, an oil dump on a truck could not be shut, causing the separator truck to spill more than 12 barrels of oil at a production facility in Fort Lupton. The spill was not contained within the berm. Eight barrels of oil were recovered. Crews shut in the wells, constructed an emergency earthen berm and used a vacuum truck to recover the spill. The company will install an automated pressure transmitter on the separator and the automation equipment will monitor the pressure of the bottom vessel, which will shut down when the pressure reading is too high.